Safety catch



w. J. QBRI EN, SAFETY CATCH.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 17, I922.

1,433,029. Patented 0c't.24,1922.

Mil/1 am JflBmm Patented Get. 24a, 1922 eann WILLIAM J'. OBRIEN, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

SAFETY CATCH.

Application filed April 17, 1922. Serial No. 553,440.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM J OBRLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Catches, of which the following is a speoification.

This invention relates to improvements in safety catches or guards for retaining the pointed ends of pin-stems on pins, brooches and the like to secure them against accidentally unfastening, and the object of this invention is to provide a simple and practical construction of such a catch which is efficient for the purpose'intended and is very durable in use;

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully de scribed, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 1

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of my improved catch showing the same in closed position to receive and retain the end ofia'pinstem. Figure 2 is a side elevation showing one of the side ears removed and with the center trunnion sectioned also showing the opposite ear as having been moved to open the entering opening.

Figure 3 is a section on line of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrow. Y p v Figure 4 is a side elevation of the keeper member with the guard member removed.

Figure 5 shows the form of blank which is cut from sheet stock to be folded to form the guard-member. v

Figure 6 shows this blank as folded into position to embrace the opposite sides of the keeper member, the ear portions being centrally sectioned.

Figure 7 shows a detail of the tubular trunnion in perspective.

With reference to the drawings, 10 designates the keeper member which is preferably formed of flat stock having a head-member ll with a radially-disposed, diagonally inclined slot 12 leading from the center through the margin thereof. The peripheral edge of this head portion is preferably notched as at 13 to receive the detent tongue of the guard member presently described.

The base portion 14 of this keeper memtersunk or counterbored as at 22, also if desired an annular slot may be cut from the margin of the ears into the center opening thereof as indicated by dotted lines as at 23 when this guard blank is formed.

These ears are then folded upon themselves into the position illustrated in Figure '6, to embrace the opposite faces of the keeper member as illustrated in Figure 3.

In order to rotatably secure this guard member to the keeper member, I have provided a tubular trunnion 24 which is passed through the central openings formed through both of the ears and the keeper member and the outer ends of this tubular trunnion are. rolled or riveted over outwardly as at 25, the turned portion of the metal being rolled into the annular recessed portions 22 formed in the outer faces of the ears to receive them.

These rolled tube ends form enlarged heads to effectively lock the tube in position and all of the parts firmly together.

When the two members are thus secured together the ears may be rotated to bring their marginal slots 20 to register with the slot 12 in the head of the keeper if these slots were formed in the keeper-ears prior to its being mounted on the keeper, but in most cases'I preferably first mount the ears upon the keeper then subsequently run a cutting saw through both the ears and the keeper from the margin inwardly and also through the tube at the desired angle to form the entering slot to receive the pointed end of the pin-stem. Then by rotating the ears of this guard member from the position illustrated in Figure 2 to that illustrated in Figure 1, the slot into the keeper member is closed to lock the pin-stem in the center opening thereof.

In some instances where it is desired to lock the ears of the guard member in either open or closed position, I bend the tongue member 21 inwardly as illustrated in Figure 2, to slide in the cut-out portion 13 in the margin of the head and I provide'protuberances 26 adjacent the ends of this slot over which the tongue must yieldingly ride thereby providing a suitable detent for retaining the guard ears in the desired adjusted position,

In order to positively fasten the tubular trunnion to rotate with the guard ears I indent the rolled portion 250i the'tubular trunnion preferably by providing protuberances27 in the recess 22 whereby when the trunnion is rolled into this recess theseprotuberances imbed themselves into the rolled over portion of the tube and so look the trunnion to the ears-insuring'its rotating -with the ears, but any other suitable means for locking this trunnion to the guard ears may be employed, if'desired.

By forming the detent protuberances 26 in the marginal recess of the keeper instead of on the Working face of one of the members they are out of the ay and do not'interfere'with the finishing of these facesywhich is an advantage from a manufacturing standpoint.

The foregoing description is directed solely towards the construction illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that I reserve the privilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes to which the device is susceptible, the invention being defined and limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

1. safety catch comprising a keeper hz'iving a hook shaped head ith a radial slot and havinga supporting post and guard member formed of a single piece of metal folded upon itself providing side ears ro tatably engaging opposite faces of said keeper and joined by a bridge portion, said ears having parallel'radial slots adapted to registerwith'that in said keeper when in open position, and a separate tubular trun nion member extending through both said keeper and guard members,

2. A safety catch comprising a keeper having a hook-shaped head With a marginal slot leading to its center portion, and having a supporting post, a guard member having ears rotatably engaging opposite sides of said head-and joined by a bridge member,said ears having parallel radial slots adapted to register With that in said keeper When in open po- SltlO11,t111Cl a separate tubular trunnion extending through both said keeper and guard ears, the outer faces of said ears being countersunk about said trunnion and the ends of said trunnion being rotated over into said recesses.

A safety: catch comprising a keeper l'iaving-a lrook-shapedhead with a marginal slot leading to its center portion, and having asupporting post aguard'men'iber having ears rotatably embracing opposite faces of said head and joined by a bridge member, saidears having parallel radial slots adapted toregister-With thatin sai d keeper when in open position and to bemoved to close said keeper slot. a separate tubular center trunnion'exten'ding through both said keeperand guard earsfa-nelongated notched portion in the -peripheral edge of said keeper, *and'a tongue on said guard extending into said notch to bring up against theend walls-of said notch to limit the relative throw ofsaid guard. V

f. A safety catch comprising keeper nion'extending through both said keeper'and guard ears, an inwardly turned'tongue on said guard bridge stops on said keeper to be engaged by said tongue to limit the throw of sai'dkeeper, and protuberances on said keeper over which said tongue must ride to reach said stops to releasably retain said guard in its extreme adjusted positions.

In testimony whereofl affix my signature.

WILLIAM J. OBRI'EN. 

